Fortnite refund: How to get your money back after the FTC ruling
Update (Mar 17, 2023): As of March 14 the FTC has voted 4-0 to approve the complaint order against Epic Games and Fortnite. This means they will be required to pay the $245 million in refunds, in addition to the $275 million penalty paid in December. In addition, Epic Games is no longer allowed to lock the accounts of anyone who disputes such a charge via their card provider.
No mechanism to receive a refund has been established yet, but one is expected to be set up in the coming weeks.
Original article: After a recent case, you may be entitled to a refund for any accidental purchases made in Fortnite. Recently the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled against Epic Games in a case that claimed it was too easy for children to accidentally make in-game purchases that cost real money. Epic has been fined $520 million for duping “millions of players” with “illegal dark patterns” and now you may be entitled to get your money back.
We’ll let you know the criteria to be eligible for a refund, and how to get it if you are.
Fortnite FTC refund criteria
With a total of $245 million agreed to be paid back in refunds, you will be able to get your money back if you fall into any of the following three categories:
- Parents whose children made an unauthorized credit card purchase in the Epic Games Store between January 2017 and November 2018.
- Fortnite players who were charged in-game currency (V-Bucks) for unwanted in-game items (such as cosmetics, llamas, or battle passes) between January 2017 and September 2022.
- Fortnite players whose accounts were locked between January 2017 and September 2022 after disputing unauthorized charges with their credit card companies.
There is no system set up to claim your refund just yet, as the FTC is currently working with Epic Games to put something together. For now, you should check FTC.gov/Fortnite regularly where you can check for updates or sign up for email updates.
How to get a refund in Fortnite
Aside from the FTC ruling, it is possible to get refunds on any purchase made with V-Bucks in Fortnite using Return Tickets. Every account has three tickets which you can use at any time. You’ll be given one new ticket every 365 days if your account has less than three. Note that things like the Battle Pass or any item given/received as a gift cannot be refunded.
To get your refund, follow these steps:
- Open the lobby and go to the settings menu
- There, click on “Support & Refunds” then “Return or cancel purchase”
- You will be shown a screen with every in-game purchase you’ve made in the last 30 days
- Select the item you want to return and select “Use Return Ticket”
- You will be shown exactly what items you are refunding, check them and select “Yes”
- You will be asked if you’re sure, select “Yes” again
- You will finally be taken to a success screen. Your items will be removed from your account and your V-Bucks returned to your wallet
